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How To Prepare Artichokes

It is really easy to prep or clean artichokes once you learn how… and let me tell you, it is worth learning how! Steamed artichokes (or stuffed artichokes) are so yummy and make a fun vegetarian meal. This is a great vegetable to try now while they are in season. Watch this “how to prepare an artichoke” video, or view the instructions below.

Here is the basic how to:1. Remove all the outer hard leaves.
2. Cut off the bottom stem and peel it- set aside in a bowl of water with lemon juice.
3. Trim the bottom.
4. Cut the top 3rd off (the tops of the pointy leaves)
5. Pull open the artichoke.
5A. If you want to stuff them, this is the time to stuff. The best combination is a classic mixture of 1/3 minced garlic, 1/3 panko bread crumbs, 1/3 chopped flat leaf parsley.
6. Coat a pot with olive oil or olive oil spray
7. Add your artichokes and stems, some salt, and drizzle with olive oil.
8. Add some water, about 1-2 cups if using a regular pot, 1/2 cup if using a pressure cooker
9. Cover and cook for 45-60 minutes (15 min if using the pressure cooker) until the whole artichoke is soft.

Some Basic Tips:
-Choose artichokes with tight leaves.
-To stuff the artichoke, it is unnecessary to remove the choke. Just spread the leaves apart and add your stuffing.
-You can prepare the stuffing a day ahead. Minced garlic and chopped flat leaf parsley can be time consuming. Get those two parts ready ahead of time. Remember, the stuffing is one part panko bread crumbs to one part chopped flat leaf parsley to one part minced garlic.
-When you serve artichokes, place a discard bowl on the table as well. That way everyone will be able to put their discarded leaves somewhere other than on their dinner plate.
-If you want to make the artichokes ahead of time, you can. When reheating be sure to pour the juices over the top (the olive oil + the water you added before cooking) and keep the baking pan covered with foil. 20 minutes covered in the oven at 375 degrees should be just about right.

How to eat:
You don’t fully eat the leaves. You peel them off and scrape your teeth over the fleshy white part. You can dip the leaves into a sauce or eat them plain. For a sauce you can use plain melted butter, olive oil, or a yogurt based sauce with spices and lemon juice. The tastiest part of the artichoke is the bottom- you don’t eat the choke (those purply leaves and the furry stuff) but you remove that and the whole bottom is edible. It is absolutely delicious, as I said about 10 times in the video.

@Sarah Jayne, The way I learned to do them is to just stuff them with the choke still intact. When it comes time to eat them we just eat as usual and when we reach the choke we cut it off and eat the bottom. Did that make sense?

Sabrina! I love stuffed artichokes. My nonne used to make them but I never got a chance to learn how. I am definately going to try your recipe. Quick question… after you cook the artichokes do you stuff them? or Before? Thanks!

@Jacklyne, Hi! I stuff them before cooking them. Please see the comment above for what I do with the choke. Watch the video in the next post- I stuff the artichoke after cleaning it and then cook it already stuffed. When we eat it we simply avoid the choke. People stuff artichokes all different ways but this is what I learned to do and it is very easy and not time consuming, so it works for me!

@Loretta, Pour the juices (water + olive oil) over them and either microwave covered with a glass cover until warm or reheat in oven with a glass cover at 375 degrees until warm- the key here is to not let them dry out, so pouring the liquid on top is important!

Hey there, my name’s Magda and I sometimes blog about this subject too. Actually, if I may, let me ask you something.. Could it just be me or does it look as if some of the comments appear they are coming out of brain dead people? 😛 And, if you’re publishing
on extra social sites like web 2.0 site list, I want to keep up
with you. Perhaps you could post some links to some of them?